16,805 Shares in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Acquired by Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension

Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 16,805 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,186,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LECO. Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 1,832 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $439,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in Lincoln Electric by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 4,361 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,045,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,314 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,034,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,241 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Versor Investments LP raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 1,563 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $375,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on LECO shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price objective (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Barclays raised their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price target on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $299.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total transaction of $232,214.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,560,954.39. The trade was a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:LECO opened at $251.20 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.92, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.83. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $262.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $263.00. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $214.06 and a 1-year high of $310.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.The company had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. Lincoln Electric’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is currently 32.61%.

Lincoln Electric Profile

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: LECO) is a global manufacturer and distributor of welding products, robotic welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment, and surface treatment systems. The company’s portfolio encompasses welding consumables such as electrodes and wires, as well as power sources, torches, and automated welding cells. Lincoln Electric also offers software solutions and training services designed to optimize productivity and quality in fabrication and manufacturing operations.

Founded in 1895 by John C.